Optical module and assembly method thereof

ABSTRACT

An optical module includes a housing, a printed circuit board, an optical assembly, an optical interface joined with the optical assembly, the printed circuit board, the optical assembly, and the optical interface being disposed in the housing, an adapter to be mated with an external optical connector and disposed on an end of the housing, and first and second connecting part disposed on the adapter and the housing, respectively. The adapter and the housing are secured together through the first and second connecting parts. The optical interface and the adapter are configured to correspond to each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of Application No. 16/376,118, filedApr. 5, 2019 (allowed), which is a continuation application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/852,057, filed Dec. 22, 2017, issued asU.S. Pat. No. 10,254,492 on Apr. 9, 2019, which is based upon and claimspriority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201710591207.4, filed on Jul.19, 2017, the entire content of all of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present application relates to manufacturing technology for opticalcommunication components and, more particularly, relates to an opticalmodule and assembly method thereof.

BACKGROUND

A typical optical module generally includes a number of components suchas a housing, an optical assembly, and a circuit board. In general,during assembly of the optical module, after components inside a housingare assembled, upper and lower housing parts are secured together. Forexample, Chinese Patent Application No. 201310219168.7 discloses anoptical module, which includes a base, a housing, a bidirectionaltransceivng component, and a printed circuit board. The transceivingcomponent includes interface parts. After the entire optical module isassembled, the interface parts are disposed in two correspondingsockets. When the optical module is connected to an optical fiberconnector or another connector, the connector is inserted into thesockets to be coupled with the interface parts. The relative positionsof the interface parts and the sockets are required to be fixed with ahigh degree of precision after the optical module is assembled andinstalled. Otherwise, imprecise alignment, difficulty in inserting andremoving the connector, and electromagnetic leakage are likely to occur.

SUMMARY

Consistent with the present disclosure, there is to provided an opticalmodule and assembly method thereof that allow for easy insertion andremoval of an external optical connector into and from an adapter of theoptical module, and allow convenient assembly of the module.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an optical moduleincludes a housing, and a printed circuit board, an optical assembly,and an optical interface disposed in the housing. The optical interfaceis connected with the optical assembly. An adapter to be mated with anexternal optical connector is disposed on an end of the housing. Firstand second connecting parts are disposed on the adapter and the housing,respectively. The adapter and the housing are fixed together through thefirst and second connecting parts. The optical interface and the adapterare configured to correspond to each other.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda method for assembling the optical module described above. The assemblymethod includes assembling the optical assembly and the printed circuitboard inside the housing, assembling the adapter on the housing,adjusting a position of the adapter relative to the housing according toa position of the optical interface, and fixing the adapter and thehousing together after the position of the adapter is adjusted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical module according to a firstexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the optical module according tothe first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the optical module in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the optical module in FIG. 3 acrossline A-A′;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an optical module according to asecond exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an optical module according to a thirdexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the optical module in FIG. 6 ;

FIG. 8 is a perspective exploded view of the optical module according tothe third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a front view of an optical module according to a fourthexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective exploded view of the optical module accordingto the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Following is a detailed description of specific embodiments as shown inthe attached drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit theinvention; the scope of protection for the present invention coverschanges made to the structure, method, or function by persons ofordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments.

Additionally, terms in the text indicating relative spatial position,such as “upper,” “above,” “lower,” “below,” and so forth, are used forexplanatory purposes in describing the relationship between a unit orfeature depicted in a drawing with another unit or feature therein.Terms indicating relative spatial position can refer to positions otherthan those depicted in the drawings when a device is being used oroperated. For example, if the device shown in a drawing is flipped over,a unit which is described as being located “below” or “under” anotherunit or feature will be located “above” the other unit or feature.Therefore, the exemplary term “below” can include positions both aboveand below. A device can be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees orfacing another direction); as such, descriptive spatially-related termsthat appear in the text should be interpreted accordingly.

When a component or layer is said to be “above” another part or layer or“connected to” another part or layer, it may be directly above the otherpart or layer or directly connected to the other part or layer, or theremay be an intermediate element(s) or layer(s). Conversely, when a partis said to be “directly above another part or layer” or “directlyconnected to another part or layer,” there cannot be any intermediateparts or layers.

FIGS. 1 through 4 disclose an optical module according to a firstexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In the first embodiment,the optical module includes a housing and a printed circuit board 14that is disposed inside the housing. The housing includes an upperhousing 10 and a lower housing 12. The printed circuit board 14 isclipped into an inner wall of the housing. Alternatively, screws andother methods can be employed to secure the printed circuit board 14inside the housing. An electrical chip is disposed on the printedcircuit board 14. In addition, a laser, a photoelectric detector, orother optic-related chips may also be disposed on the printed circuitboard 14. A prism, a wavelength division multiplexer, or other opticalcomponents may also be secured to the printed circuit board toaccommodate requirements.

An adapter 16 to be mated with an external optical connector (not shown)is disposed on an end of the housing. First and second connecting partsare disposed on the adapter 16 and the housing, respectively. Theadapter 16 and the housing are secured together through the first andsecond connecting parts. The adapter 16 and the housing are separatedfrom each other prior to assembly. The adapter 16 is at least partiallycontained inside the housing. Here, the external optical connectorrefers to a connector that transmits optical signals, such as an opticalfiber connector.

The optical module also includes an optical assembly 18 and an opticalinterface 20 that are disposed inside the housing. The optical interface20 is connected with the optical assembly 18. The optical assembly 18includes a transmitter optical subassembly and a receiver opticalsubassembly. The optical interface 20 and the adapter 16 are configuredto correspond to each other. The optical interface 20 is mated with theadapter 16. The adapter 16 can have one or two sockets. Correspondingly,the optical interface 20 can have one or two interfaces. The socket maybe a standard socket that conforms to the standards of the opticalcommunications industry or a non-standard socket that is made to order.

A gap 22 exists between the adapter 16 and the housing before they aresecured together. The gap 22 is provided for adjusting a position of theadapter 16 relative to the housing. As a result, the adapter 16 can beconveniently moved to a suitable position relative to the housing beforethe adapter 16 is fixed in the housing. The optical assembly 18 can befixed to the printed circuit board 14 as a whole. Alternatively,components of the optical assembly 18 can be secured to a carrier, andthe carrier is partially fixed to the printed circuit board 14. Theoptical assembly 18 is electrically connected to the printed circuitboard 14. When an external optical fiber connector is plugged into theoptical module through the adapter 16, an interface of the optical fiberconnector is mated with the optical interface 20 to form an opticalpath. The interface of the optical fiber connector can be inserted to orremoved from the optical interface 20 smoothly. As a result, aninteraction between an inner wall of the adapter 16 and the opticalfiber connector will neither cause the insertion and removal of theinterface of the optical fiber connector to be overly tight, nor causethe optical path to experience poor coupling. Under normalcircumstances, an axis of the optical interface 20 and a center of theone or two sockets of the adapter 16 are aligned along the same straightline.

In the first embodiment, the first and second connecting parts aredisposed on the adapter 16 and the housing, respectively. The adapter 16and the housing are secured together through the first and secondconnecting parts, eliminating the difficulty of inserting and removingthe external optical connector into and from the adapter 16 due tomanufacturing tolerance of the adapter 16 and/or the housing. Bytransforming the manufacturing tolerance of the adapter 16 and/orhousing into a position tolerance of the adapter 16, the adapter 16 canbe moved relative to the housing according to a position of the externaloptical connector, thus allowing for easy insertion and removal of theexternal optical connector into and from the adapter 16, and allowingconvenient assembly.

The first connecting part disposed on the adapter 16 includes an adaptersidewall 19 located at an end of the adapter 16. The second connectingpart disposed on the housing includes a housing sidewall 17 located atan end of the housing. One of the adapter sidewall 19 and the housingsidewall 17 can be inserted along an exterior of the other one of theadapter sidewall 19 and the housing sidewall 17, and then the adaptersidewall 19 and the housing sidewall 17 can be secured together.Specifically, in the first embodiment, the housing sidewall 17 isinserted along the exterior of the adapter sidewall 19.

Further, a protruding part 21 can be disposed on one of the firstconnecting part disposed on the adapter 16 and the second connectingpart disposed on the housing. The protruding part 21 restricts themovement range of the other one of the first and second connecting partsrelative to the one of the first and second connecting parts. The heightof the portion of the protruding part 21 that protrudes from the one ofthe first and second connecting parts is not less than the thickness ofthe wall of the other one of the first and second connecting parts towhich the one of the first and second connecting parts is connected.Specifically, in the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 , theprotruding part 21 is disposed on the first connecting part disposed onthe adapter 16. The height of the protruding part 21 that protrudes fromthe first connecting part is not less than the thickness of the wall ofthe second connecting part disposed on the housing to which the firstconnecting part is connected. The protruding part 21 restricts themovement range of the housing, thus facilitating the movement of thehousing within a predetermined range during assembly, functioning as aninitial limit, and enabling stronger bonding. In the first embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2 , the housing sidewall 17 is inserted along theexterior of the adapter sidewall 19, and the protruding part 21 ispositioned on the periphery of the housing sidewall 17. Further, theprotruding part 21 is configured on the adapter sidewall 19. A receivingport 15 is formed by the protruding part 21 and the adapter sidewall 19,and the housing sidewall 17 does not protrude from the receiving port15. In other words, the second connecting part disposed on the housingdoes not protrude from the first connecting part disposed on the end ofthe adapter 16.

Alternatively, the protruding part 21 can be configured on the secondconnecting part disposed on the housing, and the height of the portionof the protruding part 21 that protrudes from the second connecting partis not less than the thickness of the wall of the first connecting partdisposed on the adapter 16. In this scenario, the sidewall 19 on the endof the adapter 16 is inserted along the exterior of the sidewall 17 onthe end of the housing, and the protruding part 21 is positioned on theperiphery of the sidewall 19 on the end of the adapter 16.

Before the adapter 16 is fixed to the housing, the adapter 16 can moveleft, right, up, or down relative to the housing, thus enabling theposition of the adapter 16 to be adjusted. The adapter 16 and thehousing are fixed together after the adapter 16 is adjusted to thedesired position. In the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 , thehousing sidewall 17 is located on the upper housing 10.

One end of the adapter 16 is mated with the external optical connector,and the other end of the adapter 16 is mated with the optical assembly18. The adapter 16 includes two adapter sidewalls 19, a top wall, and abottom wall. A socket is formed by the two adapter sidewalls 19, the topwall, and the bottom wall. A partition wall is disposed in the middle ofthe adapter 16, The socket of the adapter 16 can be divided into two bythe partition wall to form two sockets.

In the first embodiment, the optical interface 20 connected with theoptical assembly 18 is configured as two optical interfaces: one opticalinterface 20 is a transmitter-end optical interface and the otheroptical interface 20 is a receiver-end optical interface. Alternatively,the two optical interfaces 20 can both be transmitter-end opticalinterfaces or receiver-end optical interfaces.

The adjustment gap 22 exists between an end surface of the adapter 16that is parallel to an insertion direction of the optical interfaces 20,and the upper housing 10, and between the end surface of the adapter 16and the lower housing 12. Thus, when the adapter 16 is assembled, theadapter 16 can move in a plurality of directions, such as up, down,right, or left, according to the position of the optical assembly 18.

In the first exemplary embodiment, glue is dispensed between the adapter16 and the housing to fix the adapter 16 and housing together.Alternatively, other securing methods, such as screws, can be employedto fix the adapter 16 and the housing together.

The present disclosure also discloses an assembly method for theaforementioned optical module. The assembly method includes thefollowing steps: a. the optical assembly 18 and the printed circuitboard 14 are assembled inside the housing; b. the adapter 16 isassembled on the housing; c. the position of the adapter 16 relative tothe housing is adjusted according to the position of the opticalinterface 20; and d. the adapter 16 and the housing are fixed togetherafter the adapter 16 is adjusted to a desired position. The desiredposition refers to a position when the optical interface 20 and theadapter 16 correspond to each other. When fixing the adapter 16 and thehousing together, glue can be dispensed to fix the adapter 16 and thehousing together. Other securing methods, such as screws, can also beemployed to fix the adapter 16 and the housing together. When screws areemployed as the securing method, spacers (not shown) havingcorresponding thickness can be inserted into the gap 22 between theadapter 16 and the housing.

Further, in Step b, the adapter 16 is assembled on the lower housing 12first, and then the upper housing 10 and the lower housing 12 aresecured together. Alternatively, in Step b, the upper housing 10 and thelower housing 12 can be fixed together first, and then the adapter 16and the housing can be fixed together. Specifically, the adapter 16 andthe lower housing 12 can be fixed together.

In Step b, the adapter 16 and the housing are connected through thefirst and second connecting parts. Specifically, the adapter 16 isinserted onto the upper housing 10. The receiving port 15 on the adapter16 is mated with the sidewall 17 on the upper housing 10. A gap existsbetween the receiving port 15 and the sidewall 17. The relative positionbetween the adapter 16 and the upper housing 10 can be adjusted toaccommodate specific requirements. After the proper adjustment, glue canbe dispensed between the receiving port 15 and the sidewall 17 to fixthe receiving port 15 and the sidewall 17 together.

Moreover, in Step b, the optical assembly 18 needs to be inserted intothe adapter 16 when the adapter 16 is being assembled on the housing.The insertion of the optical assembly 18 into the adapter 16 can becontrolled by a person. Additional positioning fixtures can be employedfor positioning while assembling the optical assembly 18 and the adapter16 together. Further, an optical connector or another component can beinserted into the socket of the adapter 16 to restrict the movement ofthe adapter 16 when the adapter 16 is being fixed, thus restricting theadapter 16 to a suitable position. Then glue is dispensed to fix theadapter 16 and the housing together. The optical connector can beremoved after the adapter 16 and the housing are properly secured.

When an optical assembly and a PCB are secured together to form a rigidconnection, the center of an optical path of the optical assembly isfixed relative to the housing. Because of accumulated productiontolerances and assembly tolerances, the center of the adapter may not beconsistent with the center of the optical path of the optical assemblysecured to the PCB. According to the first embodiment of the presentdisclosure, with the separation of the adapter and the housing,accumulated tolerances can be well absorbed, and the adapter is fixed tothe housing after the center of the adapter is adjusted to be alignedwith the center of the optical path of the optical assembly on the PCB.As a result, the effects of accumulated tolerances are eliminated.Problems arising from the large displacement of the position of the PCB,such as inability to assemble the optical fiber connector or tightinsertion and removal of the optical fiber connector after assembly, arealso resolved.

FIG. 5 illustrates an optical module according to a second exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. The second exemplary embodimentdiffers from the first embodiment in that an optical interface 26connected with an optical assembly 24 has only one interface.Correspondingly, an adapter for the optical assembly 24 has only onesocket. In the second embodiment, the optical interface 26 is configuredas a transceiver optical interface. Alternatively, the optical interface26 can be configured as a transmitter optical interface or a receiveroptical interface. The rest of the second exemplary embodiment isidentical to the first exemplary embodiment and thus a detaileddescription thereof will not be repeated.

FIGS. 6 through 8 illustrate an optical module according to a thirdexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The third exemplaryembodiment differs from the first exemplary embodiment in that a notch32 is disposed on one of a first connecting part disposed on an adapter36 and a second connecting part disposed on a housing which includes alower housing 30 and an upper housing 34. An inside of the notch 32 isfilled with fixing glue that fixes the first connecting part disposed onthe adapter 36 and the second connecting part disposed on the housing.In the third exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 8 , thenotch 32 is disposed on the second connecting part disposed on thehousing. More specifically, the notch 32 is disposed on a sidewall 35 ofthe housing. The inside of the notch 32 is filled with fixing glue afterthe housing and the adapter 36 are inserted together, thus allowing theadapter 36 and the housing to be more firmly secured.

An opening direction of the notch 32 is perpendicular to an insertiondirection of the housing relative to the adapter 36. Specifically, thenotch 32 is located on the lower housing 30, and the opening directionof the notch 32 is oriented toward the upper housing 34. In the thirdexemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 8 , the notch 32 hasa U shape. Alternatively, the shape of the notch 32 can be configured asan L shape, circle, oval, polygon, or other shapes.

The optical module according to the third exemplary embodiment caninclude two notches 32. The two notches 32 can be symmetrically disposedon two sides of the adapter 36. Alternatively, the two notches 32 can beasymmetrically disposed. Moreover, the openings of the notches 32 can beconfigured to be oriented away from the upper housing 34. In otherwords, the notches 32 can be configured on the side of the lower housing30 that is away from the upper housing 34. The other parts of the thirdexemplary embodiment are identical to those in the first exemplaryembodiment and thus a detailed explanation thereof will not be repeated.

In the third exemplary embodiment, when the adapter 36 is assembled ontothe housing, glue is dispensed in the notches 32 after the adapter 36 isadjusted to a desired position, thus securing the adapter 36 and thehousing together.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate an optical module according to a fourthexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The fourth exemplaryembodiment differs from the third exemplary embodiment in that a firstnotch 40 and a second notch 42 are disposed on a connecting part of ahousing including an upper housing 44 and a lower housing. The firstnotch 40 and the second notch 42 are both used for filling the fixingglue between the housing and an adapter 46. Specifically, the firstnotch 40 and the second notch 42 are configured on a sidewall 38 of thehousing. Alternatively, the first notch 40 and the second notch 42 canalso be configured on a connecting part of the adapter 46. Similarly,the first notch 40 and the second notch 42 can be configured onsidewalls of the adapter 46.

In the fourth exemplary embodiment, opening directions of the secondnotch 42 and the first notch 40 are oriented in opposite directions.Specifically, the opening of the first notch 40 is oriented toward theupper housing 44, and the opening of the second notch 42 is orientedaway from the upper housing 44.

The optical module according to the fourth exemplary embodiment caninclude two first notches 40. The two first notches 40 can besymmetrically located on two sides of the adapter 46. Similarly, theoptical module can include two second notches 42. The two second notches42 can also be symmetrically located on two sides of the adapter 46.Alternatively, the two first notches 40 can be asymmetrically disposed.Similarly, the two second notches 42 can also be asymmetricallydisposed.

In the fourth exemplary embodiment, when the adapter 46 is assembledonto the housing, glue is dispensed into the first notches 40 and thesecond notches 42 after the adapter 46 is adjusted to a desiredposition, thus fixing the adapter 46 and the housing together, andallowing the adapter 46 and the housing to be more firmly secured.

Further, a protruding part 48 is disposed on a first connecting part ofthe adapter 46. Alternatively, the protruding part 48 can be disposed ona second connecting part of the housing. The protruding part 48 is atleast partially located in the first notch 40, and the gap between theprotruding part 48 and the first notch 40 is filled with fixing glue,thus the adapter 46 is further secured. The protruding part 48 can besymmetrically configured as two protruding parts 48, and the twoprotruding parts 48 are located in the two first notches 40,respectively. The other parts of the fourth exemplary embodiment areidentical to the first exemplary embodiment and thus a detaileddescription thereof will not be repeated.

In other exemplary embodiments, the shape and number of notches andprotruding parts can be adjusted to accommodate various requirements.For example the shape of the notches and protruding parts can be an Lshape, circle, oval, U shape, polygon, or other shapes. The presentdisclosure does not restrict the shape or number of notches andprotruding parts, nor does it restrict their position on the sidewalls.Notches and protruding parts can have one-to-one or multiple-to-onecorrespondence. It should be noted that although protruding parts andnotches may complement each other in mating, they are by no meanstightly mated. This enables the position of the adapter relative to thehousing to be fine-tuned and then mutually secured after being adjustedto the desired position. Thus, an optical fiber connector and an opticalinterface of the optical assembly may be perfectly mated. The issue ofthe optical fiber connector being too tight during insertion and removalis avoided.

Compared to currently available technology, the embodiments of thepresent disclosure provide the following benefits. The adapter and thehousing are secured together through the first and second connectingparts, eliminating the difficulty of inserting and removing an externaloptical connector into and from the adapter due to the manufacturingtolerance of the adapter and/or the housing. By transforming themanufacturing tolerance of the adapter and/or housing into the positiontolerance of the adapter, the adapter can be moved relative to thehousing to be aligned with the position of the external opticalconnector, thus allowing for the easy insertion and removal of theexternal optical connector into and from the adapter, and allowingconvenient assembly of the optical module.

It should be understood that despite the descriptions of embodiments inthe specification, each embodiment does not entail only one singleindependent technical solution. The specification is written this waysimply for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should treatthe specification as a whole; the technical solutions associated withthe embodiments may be combined in appropriate ways to form otherembodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

The series of detailed descriptions above is only intended to providespecific descriptions of feasible embodiments of the present disclosure.The detailed descriptions are not to be construed as limiting the scopeof protection for the present disclosure; all equivalent embodiments orchanges that are not detached from the techniques of the presentdisclosure in essence should fall under the scope of protection of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An optical module, comprising: a housing; aprinted circuit board disposed in the housing; an optical assemblydisposed in the housing; an optical interface connected with the opticalassembly; an adapter, to be mated with an external optical connector,disposed on an end of the housing; and first and second connecting partsdisposed on the adapter and the housing, respectively, wherein theadapter and the housing are fixed together through the first and secondconnecting parts, the optical interface and the adapter are configuredto correspond to each other, a fixing glue is filled in between thefirst and second connecting parts to fix the adapter and the housingtogether, and a gap exists between the adapter and the opticalinterface, the optical interface being spaced apart from the adapter bythe gap and being fixed to the housing, the gap being used for movingthe adapter left, right, up, or down relative to the housing to adjust aposition of the adapter relative to the optical interface before theadapter is fixed to the housing and while the optical interface is fixedto the housing.
 2. The optical module of claim 1, wherein the adapterand the housing are fixed together through the first and secondconnecting parts directly.
 3. The optical module of claim 1, wherein thefirst connecting part comprises an adapter sidewall, the secondconnecting part comprises a housing sidewall located at an end of thehousing, and one of the adapter sidewall and the housing sidewall isinserted along an exterior of the other one of the adapter sidewall andthe housing sidewall.
 4. The optical module of claim 3, wherein theadapter sidewall and the housing sidewall are parallel to each other andextend along an insertion direction of the one of the adapter sidewalland the housing sidewall.
 5. The optical module of claim 3, wherein thegap between the adapter and the optical interface is a first gap, asecond gap exists between the adapter sidewall and the housing sidewall,and the fixing glue is filled in the second gap between the adaptersidewall and the housing sidewall to fix the adapter sidewall and thehousing sidewall together.
 6. The optical module of claim 5, wherein thefirst connecting part comprises two adapter sidewalls opposite to eachother, the second connecting part comprises two housing sidewallsopposite to each other, and at least a portion of the two adaptersidewalls is inside of the two housing sidewalls.
 7. The optical moduleof claim 5, wherein one of the adapter sidewall and the housing sidewallincludes a protruding part that is configured to restrict a movementrange of the other one of the adapter sidewall and the housing sidewall.8. The optical module of claim 5, wherein one of the adapter sidewalland the housing sidewall includes a notch through which the fixing glueis disposed.
 9. The optical module of claim 8, wherein the other one ofthe adapter sidewall and the housing sidewall includes a protrudingpart, and the protruding part is at least partially located in thenotch.
 10. The optical module of claim 8, wherein the notch is shaped asan L, circle, oval, U, or polygon.
 11. An optical module, comprising: ahousing; a printed circuit board, an optical assembly, and an opticalinterface disposed in the housing, the optical interface being coupledto the optical assembly; and an adapter for coupling with an externaloptical connector and secured at an end of the housing, wherein theadapter includes a first connecting part, the housing includes a secondconnecting part, and the adapter is secured at the end of the housingthrough the first connecting part and the second connecting part,wherein a first gap exists between the housing and the adapter, at leasta portion of the first gap is filled by a filler to secure the housingand the adapter, and a second gap exists between the adapter and theoptical interface, the optical interface being spaced apart from theadapter by the second gap and being fixed to the housing, and the secondgap being used for moving the adapter left, right, up, or down relativeto the housing to adjust a position of the adapter relative to theoptical interface before the adapter is secured to the housing and whilethe optical interface is fixed to the housing.
 12. The optical module ofclaim 11, wherein the filler is glue.
 13. The optical module of claim11, wherein a position of the adapter relative to the housing is fixed,after the position of the adapter relative to the optical interface isfixed.
 14. The optical module of claim 11, wherein the first gap is usedfor adjusting a position of the adapter relative to the housing beforethe adapter is secured to the housing and while the position of theoptical interface relative to the housing is fixed.
 15. The opticalmodule of claim 14, wherein the second gap defines a position of theadapter relative to the optical interface.
 16. The optical module ofclaim 15, wherein the adapter partly overlaps with and is secured to asidewall of the housing after assembly.
 17. The optical module of claim16, wherein an area of an overlapping portion between the adapter andthe sidewall of the housing is less than an area of the sidewall of thehousing.
 18. The optical module of claim 11, wherein the firstconnecting part comprises an adapter sidewall, the second connectingpart comprises a housing sidewall located at an end of the housing, oneof the adapter sidewall and the housing sidewall is inserted along anexterior of the other one of the adapter sidewall and the housingsidewall.
 19. The optical module of claim 18, wherein one of the adaptersidewall and the housing sidewall includes a notch through which afixing glue is disposed.
 20. The optical module of claim 19, wherein theother one of the adapter sidewall and the housing sidewall includes aprotruding part, and the protruding part is at least partially locatedin the notch.